Frank Ocean releases his highly-anticipated sophomore album, ‘Blonde’

Singer Frank Ocean finally released his sophomore album “Blonde,” the long-awaited follow up to his 2012 debut “Channel Orange.”

The album – which is available via streaming on Apple Music and download on iTunes – features 17 tracks with contributions from Beyonce, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Andre 3000, Pharrell, Rick Rubin, Tyler The Creator and more.

As part of the release, Ocean also arranged pop-up shops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and London. Lucky guests were given free copies of the enigmatic singer’s art magazine, “Boys Don’t Cry,” which featured physical copies of the new album and lyrics to the songs.

“I had the time of my life making all of this,” Ocean wrote on his personal Tumblr blog. “Thank you all. Especially those of you who never let me forget I had to finish. Which is basically every one of y’all.”

Ocean rose to prominence after his first album, “Channel Orange,” received widespread acclaim from fans and critics, elevating his status in music from talented songwriter to potential R&B superstar.

The overall success of the debut created a nearly insatiable desire for new music among his fanbase. But rampant speculation, numerous false starts and increasingly long delay caused the mood surrounding the impending project to shift from excitement to frustration.

However, earlier this month, there were signs that the album was on its way. The New York Times reported that the project was set for an Aug. 5 release date. Instead, fans received a live stream video that featured Ocean in a mostly empty studio creating a spiral staircase out of wood. Then, on Thursday (Aug. 18), he released a 45-minute visual album on Apple Music titled “Endless” featuring some of the same footage, but scored by unreleased tracks. The credits for “Endless” lists 18 songs – none of which are individually available nor appear on the tracklist for “Blonde,” which you can check out below.

Have listened to “Blonde” yet? If so, what are your early impressions? Let us know in the comment section.